-LRB- TIME.com -RRB- -- As the assistant chef and the senior policy adviser for healthy-food initiatives at the White House , Sam Kass knows how to fill a plate to the first lady 's approval .

Recently , we caught up with Kass at Google 's annual Think Health summit , where he spoke to health care leaders and innovators about his work with Michelle Obama on her Let 's Move initiative to curb childhood obesity .

So far , Kass said , the campaign has overhauled school lunches , replaced the government 's food pyramid with the more consumer-friendly MyPlate , and encouraged pediatricians to write prescriptions for more fruits and veggies .

`` Yet we 've only scratched the surface of what 's possible , '' he said .

We asked Kass about everything , from what the United States is doing right in terms of healthy eating to what he 's growing in the White House garden this season .

What do you think has been the greatest breakthrough for the Let 's Move campaign so far ?

There is n't one magic bullet for what 's having the greatest impact -- there are all kinds of things we are doing and will continue to do . But I think what 's really important is that we have unified the country around health .

You believe we will see the greatest changes to national health when young kids start making healthy eating decisions for themselves . Are we seeing this transition yet ?

I see this all the time . We recently had the first ever Kids ' State Dinner . There was china , butler service , the President and first lady were there -- the whole nine yards . It was amazing .

Now these kids have gone back to their schools and communities and they 're heroes . Why ? Because they cooked some vegetables in a creative way and they used whole grains to make healthy dishes . They 've started owning this for themselves , and it 's what makes them great . We start seeing this everywhere , and that 's what gives me great hope that we are really going to turn this around .

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What are some of the simplest changes American families can make to their diets ?

There are a lot of little things that can be done . It 's the first lady 's experience that little changes can have huge impact . If families just filled half their plate with fruits and vegetables at dinnertime , it would have a transformative impact on their health . If we drank more water and low-fat dairy and nonsugary drinks , that would also have a transformative impact . Really any of the seven MyPlate tips , if we did any of those , we would really have a great impact .

Sometimes it feels overwhelming . It feels like these problems are just so big , but in the end , the solutions can be quite small , approachable and doable . I think it 's important to remember that . We need to break through and make sure parents have that kind of information they need and we can deliver it to them in ways that are useful .

You trained under chef Christian Domschitz in Vienna . What can we learn from the way people eat abroad ?

I think there 's a tremendous amount that we can all learn from the world . People are learning from us . American chefs are some of the greatest chefs in the world now . But of course we always have more to learn . I think what I 've seen -LRB- abroad -RRB- is a love and care for food and the quality of ingredients . There 's care taken in making sure people have time to prepare them properly with good portion sizes .

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What are you growing in the White House garden right now ?

We are just ending summer and moving into fall , so we are just picking our last watermelons . Our tomatoes are still doing great . We have a lot of peppers , our zucchinis and yellow squash are just finishing up . We have a bunch of beans right now . And of course , pumpkins . We have the best pumpkin harvest of our time here by quite a lot . We will have a fun Halloween .

What are some of the favorite meals in the White House ?

That 's top-secret information . We balance . The first lady practices what she preaches , which is moderation . When we put out the MyPlate guide , she came in and said , `` We 're cooking the MyPlate . '' That 's what we 're doing .

What she 's always said to her kids , and throughout the Let 's Move campaign , is that if we 're eating balanced all the time , then when we go to a party and have pizza or cake , it 's no problem . We all love fries and burgers and all that stuff . But we just ca n't have it day in and day out . That 's when we run into trouble .

What did you have this morning for breakfast ?

Today the Google team provided a healthy breakfast . In line with MyPlate , I had granola with low-fat yogurt and fruit . I 'm also a big oatmeal guy . Oatmeal and bananas are pretty standard for me .

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This article was initially published on TIME.com .

Q&A with the White House chef on healthy eating

& copy 2012 TIME , Inc. . TIME is a registered trademark of Time Inc. . Used with permission .

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Sam Kass is an assistant chef and senior policy advisor for healthy food initiatives

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He works with first lady Michelle Obama on her Let 's Move initiative

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Healthy eating solutions `` can be quite small , approachable and doable , '' he says